Avon Defeats SMSA To Take NCCC Crown

Tournament MVP Bryan Lachance scored 20 points and Nate Laszewski added 11 points and nine rebounds, helping Avon to a 48-44 victory against SMSA in the NCCC boys basketball championship game on Friday at East Granby High School.

Tim Patton added eight points and Ian McDonald had 10 rebounds for Avon (18-5), which matched the Avon girls in winning the tournament in the school's final year in the conference. The Falcons move to the CCC next season.

"We have a lot of good memories in the NCCC; there's a lot of great teams and coaches," said Avon coach Chris Vozzolo, whose team outscored SMSA 17-8 in the fourth quarter. "We'll miss the conference, but we're excited we won in our last year."

A three-pointer by Patton and two threes by LaChance gave Avon the lead with under a minute to go, and Bryan St. Jean and Laszewski hit free throws to seal the win.

Rashaun Mason had 17 points and Dwayne Bernard added seven points and 12 rebounds for SMSA (20-3), playing in its first NCCC final.